How to: Felt Teddy

Felt fabric is ideal for sewing toys because you don't have to worry that it will fray.

If you have basic sewing skills, you can put them to work to make a felt teddy bear. Choose your child's favorite colors for the felt fabric and the teddy bear will quickly become a cherished friend and playmate. Whether you have a sewing machine or simply hand sewing skills, you can make a felt teddy bear that any child will love. It's even possible to use fabric glue in place of sewing for a no-sew teddy bear.

Things You'll Need

• Paper
• Pen or pencil
• Scissors
• Felt fabric
• Straight pins
• Sewing machine or sewing needle or fabric glue
• Thread
• Stuffing materials

Instructions

1. Draw a basic teddy bear shape onto a sheet of paper. If you have difficulty picturing this, make the teddy bear's body in the shape of an oval. Add a circle for the head and two smaller circles for the ears, then give the teddy bear cylinder-shaped arms and legs. The size of your pattern will determine the size of your finished bear.

2. Cut out your paper pattern using scissors. Cut around the outline of the bear's body and then use straight pins to attach the pattern to a piece of felt. Cut out the felt fabric around the outline of your pattern for the front of the bear and repeat for the back of the bear.

3. Cut out smaller pieces of felt to resemble the bear's facial features. Cut two circles for his eyes and a triangle for his nose, then cut a thin crescent for his smiling mouth.

4. Use a needle and thread to sew the facial features to the bear's face. If you don't want to sew, glue the features to the face using a sturdy fabric glue.

5. Position the front of the bear on top of the back of the bear. Use straight pins to hold the two pieces of felt together. Sew a straight seam around the outside perimeter of the bear shape, or use fabric glue instead of stitching. Leave a hole along the bear's side that is unsewn or unglued, approximately three inches long.

6. Stuff the bear by inserting stuffing through the hole you left in the bear's side. If you used fabric glue, make sure the glue is dry before doing so. Sew or glue up the hole and the bear is ready to play.

References

• Bev's Country Cottage: Bev's Mini Stitched Teddy Bear

Resources

• Gomestic: Easy and Cute Toy Softies You Can Make